Subaqueous pipe-tunnel



(No Model.)

- E. F. SANFORD.

SUBAQUBOUS PIPE TUNNEL.

No. 580,226. Patented Apr. 6, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR F. SANFORD, OF MERCED, CALIFORNIA.

SUBAQUEOUS PIPE-TUNNEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,226, dated April 6, 1897'.

Application filed September 21,1896. Serial No. 606,529. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDGAR F. SANFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Merced, county of Merced, State of, California, have invented an Improvement in Subaqueous Pipe-Tunnels; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of pipe tunnels or conduits for any purpose, such as .the conveyance of liquids or gases or the transportation of messages and goods or the passage of vehicles, said tunnels or conduits to be laid under water and to rest upon or in the bottom.

My invention consists, essentially, in a pipe composed of flexibly-jointed sections, all of which are secured to independent flexible connections, which in the best form is a continuous flexible line of any suitable nature, such asa wire cable or rope or chain or jointed bars or links of any kind, whereby they are held together in a continuous flexible line duringthe progress of construction and until completed and settled permanently and rendered rigid.

My invention also consists in the novel construction of the section-joints, the means for rendering said joints temporarily water-tight, the means for securing the connecting-lines, the means for adjusting the pipe on the bottom, and. other details of construction, arrangement, and combination, all of which I shall hereinafter fully describe.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical, and eective subaqueous pipe tunnel or conduit for any purpose to which it may be applied and which can be easily and expeditiously laid.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of my tunnel, showing the process of laying it. Fig. 2 is a side view of a portion of the tunnel, one part being broken away. Fig. 3 is a cross-section.

The tunnel or conduit is composed of main sections A, which may be made in any suitable manner and of any convenient length. For large tunnels designed for the passage of vehicles these sections would be composed of boiler-plate, the plates being riveted together in the usual manner. Fitted telescopically into adjacent ends of these main sections are thecoupling-sectionsB. Thesearecomparatively'short, and their diameter is enough smaller than the interior diameter of the sections A that the latter are enabled to bend out of line sufficiently to permit the pipe formation to be flexible or yielding during the process of construction and laying.

Temporary timbers C within the main pipesections form stops to limit the insertion of the couplingsections B. The ends of the sections A do not abut, but leave the central portion of the body of coupling-sections B exposed. Over these portions and well overlapping the ends of sections A are placed bands or windings D, of Waterproof material or fabric of some kind, such as properly-prepared duck or canvas or oiled fabric of some description. These bands are held by encircling clamps E, and they are left with a central circumferential fullness to provide for the necessary flexibility of the joints. These bands render the joints temporarily watertight.

All the sections A composing the pipe are secured together by a continuous exible line of some kind. Such a line I have here represented by the cable F, though it is to be understood that I do not confine myself to a cable, but may use other flexible connections, such as a chain or separate bars secured to each section and united by flexible joints or connections, rendering them practically a continuous flexible line joining and holding all the sections together. There may be as many of these lines as may be desired, and they may be placed in any positions required, above or below, or on the side, or outside, or inside, as may be found best. I have here shown two cables F, one on each side of the sections A. They may be secured to the sections by anysuitable fastenings. The best form of fastenings are those here shown and consist of permanent jaws G, secured to sections A, and cap-jaws G, adapted to be iitted to the permanent jaws and to embrace the cables between them.

Before describing other details of construction it Will be well at this point for a better understanding of my invention to describe the process of constructing and laying the tunnel or conduit.

H is a body of water, and 7L is its bottom.

I is one shore, and J is the opposite shore. In shore I is made a suitable excavation, in which is planted an anchor K. To this the cables F are secured, and the tunnel or conduit being made is laid along in the excavation to and t-hrough a proper restrainingcaisson, (represented by L.) 'lhence the wire cables F are carried to a suitable paying-out device on a boat M. This boat is provided with a hoisting mechanism, such as is represented by N, and byiwhich the sections A are successively lifted and placed in engagement with the cables. The intervening couplingsections B are successively slipped intoplace, and the protecting fabric bands D are clamped on. As the boat advances the pipe is formed and is lowered to the bottom, and in order to reduce its buoyancy water is pumped into it and it sinks and lies upon the bottom or in the bottom, as is preferable, in which case a preceding dredger may prepare the way. Vhen the other shore .I is reached, the cable and section handling mechanism, which is mounted upon wheels for this purpose, is run oft on shore, and the pipe is gradually brought up to its other termin ns. Now the water is pumped out of the pipe tunnel or conduit, and the workmen enter it and remove the timber C and properly seal the joints in the usual manner of making Watertight connections.

If it be found that the line of the pipe tunnel or conduit is not true, as by reason of an uneven foundation, this can be remedied by having in each section an outwardly and downwardly opening nozzle O with a proper stop-cock. A pipe P is then led to all these nozzles, and before the tunnel is rendered rigid by sealing its joints water may be forced through pipe P and ejected from such nozzles O as'may be necessary in order to displace the mud and allow the parts to sett-le down to the proper place.

After the tunnel or conduit is in place it may be found desirable to'support and connect its sections by extra lines of cables or other connections. In such case I would run one or more cables, such as Q, through the inside of the tunnel and properly fasten them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is*

l. A pipe tunnel or conduit composed of flexibly-jointed sections and a continuous line of flexible connections joining said sections flexibly.

2. A pipe tunnel or conduit composed of flexibly-jointed sections and a continuous iiexible line secured to each section and cressing the joints whereby said sections are connected together flexibly.

3. A pipe tunnel or conduit composed of main sections, coupling-sections telescoped in adjacent ends of the main section and of sufficiently smaller diameter to permit the main sections to bend out of line and iiexible connections extending across the meeting ends of and secured to each main section whereby they are connected together flexibly.

4. A pipe tunnel or conduit composed ofmain sections, coupling-sections telescoped in adjacent ends of the main sections and of sufficiently smaller diameter to permit the main sections to bend out of line, and a continuous flexible line Vsecured to each main section and crossing their adjacent ends whereby they are connected together llexibly.

5. A pipe tunnel or conduit composed of main sections, coupling-sections telescoped in adjacent ends of the main sections and of suiiiciently smaller diameter to permit the main sections to bend out of line, bands of flexible waterproof material encircling the joints exteriorly, and flexible connections extending across the meeting ends of and secured to each main section whereby they are connected together flexibly.

6. A pipe tunnel or conduit composed of v main sections, coupling-sectionstelescoped in adjacent ends of the main sections and of sufficiently smaller diameter to permit the main sections to bend out of line, rbands'of flexible waterproof material encircling the joints exteriorly, and a continuous flexible line secured to each main section and crossing their adjacent ends whereby they are connected together flexibly.

7. A pipe tunnel or conduit composed of main sections, coupling-sections telescoped in adjacent ends of the main section and of sufficiently smaller diameter to permit the main sections to bend out of line, bands of loo flexible waterproof material encircling the' IlO 

